Electronic devices have been minimized in size to improve their functionality. Many current electronic devices are based on sub-micron design rules. Recently, research and development efforts have been directed towards exploring devices on the nanoscale, with the dimensions of the devices often measured in nanometers or tens of nanometers.
In addition to the significant reduction of individual device size and much higher packing density as compared to microscale devices, nanoscale devices may also provide new functionalities due to physical phenomena on the nanoscale that are not observed on the micron scale. For example, nanoscale devices may exhibit resistance electronic switching behavior, which has been linked to memristor circuit element theory.